Topic: iPhone

Apple's "phablet" is finally here. Years after the likes of Samsung popularized the smartphone/tablet hybrid device, Apple last week launched its first take on a huge-screened device with the iPhone 6 Plus, and AppleInsider has gone hands-on to see if it was worth the wait.

After releasing and subsequently pulling the iOS 8.0.1 update earlier today, Apple late Wednesday instructed iPhone 6 and 6 Plus users affected by cellular and Touch ID issues to downgrade back to iOS 8.0 while the company prepares a fix.

One day after a YouTube video demonstrated that Apple's iPhone 6 Plus can indeed bend under focused pressure, a second test on Wednesday extends the process to the iPhone 6, as well as the HTC One M8, new Moto X, Nokia Lumia 1020 and Apple's own iPhone 5s.

The "difficult situation" brought on by record-breaking opening weekend sales of Apple's new, larger iPhones has prompted arch-rival Samsung to both speed up the release of its Galaxy Note 4 as well as slash the phablet's list price, a company official publicly said this week.

After establishing iPhone 5s as a "forward thinking" high-end luxury device a year ago, Apple is now enhancing its eighth generation of iPhone with a broad range of new and improved hardware components, inside a slimmer new case design with a much larger, higher-resolution display.

As part of its iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ad blitz, Apple recently purchased prominent ad space in major print publications emblazoned with "actual size" images of the new hardware, giving readers a taste of what to expect from the enlarged devices.

A video posted to YouTube on Tuesday confirms Apple's iPhone 6 Plus can be bent using a moderate amount of force, an issue some owners are seeing after sitting down with the device in their front pants pocket.

Though Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is handling the lion's share of building A8 chips for Apple's latest iPhones, longtime partner Samsung is still reportedly a major contributor, accounting for an estimated 40 percent of production.

The Chinese government reportedly signaled on Tuesday that Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus will soon be granted regulatory approval, potentially putting to a stop the massive -- and unique -- smuggling efforts currently underway to satisfy demand.

A combination of iPhone 6 launch supply constraints and a modified international rollout schedule have reportedly resulted in a fistfight at a Connecticut Apple Store, where out-of-town groups looking to profit on gray market resales vied for the short-stocked smartphone.

The new silicon at the heart of Apple's recently-released iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has increased the company's lead in smartphone application processor performance, according to data released on Monday, with the A8 improving on the already industry-leading 64-bit A7.

The avalanche of app updates bringing compatibility with Apple's latest mobile operating system continued with offerings from two of the world's largest companies on Monday, as Microsoft brought interactive notifications to Skype for iPhone and Google added app extension support to Chrome.

The launch weekend for Apple's new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus was the strongest start yet for the company's smartphone lineup, reaching 10 million units sold in the first three days of availability, and topping last year's previous best of 9 million.

Apple's decision to move to an all-new -- and larger -- form factor for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus means that buyers will once again be in the market for new cases. AppleInsider rounded up a selection of compatible cases from the usual suspects as well as some new entrants.

A few days after Verizon launched its first-generation voice over LTE (VoLTE) system in the U.S., dubbed Advanced Calling 1.0, it was confirmed on Friday that Apple's latest iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models support the carrier's suite of services, including HD voice and video calling.

Apple on Friday updated its repairs webpage to reflect current pricing for the iPhone models released today, revealing out-of-warranty fixes could cost up to $299 for the iPhone 6 and up to $329 for the 6 Plus.

According to a report on Friday, Apple's latest 64-bit A8 system-on-a-chip, currently powering the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, is built by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., not longtime partner Samsung.

As he has done in years past, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook was on-hand at his local Apple Store in Palo Alto, Calif., on Friday to help kick off sales of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, as well as take pictures and joke around with fans [updated with more pics].

Apple's new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus are making their way into consumers' hands today, and one of the first tasks for iPhone owners will be moving their content to their new device. AppleInsider walks you through the process of backing up and restoring data using iCloud and iTunes.